The Sword of Illusion
by Yoshimaster
Summary: The short, yet epic, conclusion to the Dream Caster. With the Sword of Illusion in hand, Micah leads the final battle against Karod in the war for Hyrule's dreamers.
1. Chapter One: Army of the Forgotten

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while since I've updated the Dream Caster story... so if you're unfamiliar with it, check in my profile for links to the first two part.  
  
When Micah pulled the sword from the stone pedestal, many things happened. The illusion of stars around him faded into nothingness, revealing the room for what it really was, a plain stone chamber, as one in a prison. The floor cracked and trembled and the walls began to buckle, all with a great rumble. Micah quickly sheathed the sword, tossing into the demolition the hilt of the Kokiri sword, which was to be forgotten by the entire world forever.  
  
Micah threw himself against the latched door, but it wouldn't budge. He pulled back, and the wall caved in, showering dust and bits of stone onto him and Belle. He ran through the opening, but the pillars that remained in the arena were beginning to topple. He ducked out, just as a great pillar struck the ground behind him, smashing the floor.  
  
The ceiling in the other room had given way. Micah stepped in, blinded by swirling clouds of dust. The dust settled, but the tower shook with escalating force. Micah could feel the shattering of the base reverberate through the walls, and as the tower began to lean to one side, he could hear the flap of wings.  
  
With the roof of the tower gone, Micah could see into the pitch-black sky, where a single male Rito hovered, cautiously floating through, where it beckoned Micah to grab on. He did so, and the Rito quickly flew away, just as the tower toppled over, crumbling into a falling pillar of dust that stood out in the featureless plain.  
  
The Rito brought Micah low above the ground. Micah let go, falling softly on the dry, flat ground. He turned to thank the Rito, but suddenly realized that it was not alone.  
  
An army of different race, gender, age, background and purpose, stood together, facing their savior. Micah knew without being told who they were. They were the faces to the sea of voices that commanded him during his trials within the tower. As a single ray of light is shattered into a brilliant spectrum when struck by a multifaceted crystal, so the accursed sea had shattered, its single voice broken into many, its single mind dissolved.  
  
The crowd's voice had risen to a low murmur, as they looked curiously at the young, ragged Kokiri boy and his fairy. The Rito stepped forward, and spoke for them.  
  
"The power of your sword is strong," he said. "It was too much for Karod's fortress. The illusion was destroyed."  
  
Micah looked at him curiously. "Surely you would know that it was an illusion by now," said the Rito. "Everything is. Even the Sword of Illusion has no tangible entity in the real world."  
  
There was eerie silence. Not a voice rose in the field.  
  
"No doubt you are wondering what has happened," the Rito said. "I can tell by the look on your face that you know less of this sword than we who were cursed by it."  
  
"Who are you?" Micah said at last.  
  
"I am called Nairo," said the Rito. "But for a time I was nameless, just another soul to feed the Sea's mindless voice. We... all of us here... have been waiting for you for a very long time. Legends told that only the chosen One could take the sword, and that all others would be cursed. No doubt you knew that."  
  
"I did," said Micah. "A friend told me once."  
  
Nairo nodded. "Alas, such a tale could not dissuade any of us from trying," he continued. "But do not condemn us all for greed. Some were forced to come by those stronger than them... others sought the sword for the sake of a loved one. Every story is different, yet the penalty was the same." Nairo's eyes saddened, as his mind departed to a time lost to him. Suddenly, he returned, and looked Micah in the eye. "The legends also told that when the One took what was his, we would be freed of the curse, and indebted to him... to you."  
  
Micah looked past the Rito, at the crowd behind him. In the front row alone, he could spy four different species. There were half a dozen Hylian soldiers, a Zora, four Gerudos, and a Deku Scrub. They looked earnestly at him.  
  
"No," said Micah. "I will not impede you. You are free. Go home."  
  
Nairo looked at the ground. "Since the wizard Karod erected that fortress," he said, "no one has tried to get the sword. The last of us had been cursed half a century ago. We... we have no homes to go back to." He looked up again, with tears welling in his eyes. "The vote is unanimous. We will aid you in your quest."  
  
The army was assembled within minutes, and soon, they were marching for Karod's fortress. Micah led them with his sword, and Nairo acted as second-in-command. Belle fluttered overhead, watching the army behind them.  
  
To the north, the sun was beginning to dim. Micah turned to Nairo and said, "Should we seek shelter for the night?"  
  
Nairo shook his head. "It would do no use," he said. "It is likely, in fact it is certain, that Karod became aware of your status as soon as you pulled the Sword of Illusion from the pedestal. When night comes, all the dreamers will come and attack us."  
  
Micah swallowed hard. "He can do that?" he said.  
  
"Remember that he currently controls the Dream Caster," said Nairo. "Therefore, he has complete control over anyone who enters the World of Delusion. He can turn them all into savage, relentless soldiers."  
  
"So by nightfall, we'll be swarmed by the Army of Minds as well as this 'army of dreamers?'" Micah said, alarmed.  
  
"No," said Nairo. "Hopefully, he won't summon the Army of Minds. It's probably too busy with its conquest in Hyrule. In any case, you'll need us to protect you."  
  
"But what if you die?" Micah cried. "Can you get killed in this world? What will happen?"  
  
Nairo was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Like I said before, we have no homes to go back to."  
  
The army marched on. Micah sheathed his sword, but he remained tense. Nairo had told him what he needed to know. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder how the battle would turn out. He kept his eyes on the sun. Slowly, it was fading from white to gray, and eventually to black. As he watched, he thought of Gardorous, and what he was doing now. He thought of Kokiri Forest, and all of its carefree inhabitants, slaves to the legend by which Micah was cursed. He thought of the Great Deku Tree, who, even at eighteen years, was already a wise, knowledgeable entity. Then he wondered, how many of these people who had helped him throughout his life would be fighting against him as they slumbered that night?  
  
Nightfall came. Micah and his army kept marching. His heart pounded with anxiety. Hours passed, and no dreams appeared.  
  
"There is Karod's fortress," Nairo said at last, pointing to the horizon. "We must be careful." In the distance, Micah saw a silhouetted fortress, short but broad. They marched on.  
  
The closer they came to the enormous fortress, the clearer Micah could see that his original vision was wrong. The fortress was broad, but so much so that that word was an understatement. Walls within walls guarded the fortress, all armed with spikes, turrets and towers. The walls extended for miles on either side of the main building, which, in itself, was larger than Hyrule Castle and Kokiri Forest combined. Fifty towers there were in all, each with fifteen wicked spires. It was beautiful in its menacing design. It was so large, so eloquently designed, and so perfectly fearsome, that it would be impossible to build such a thing in the real world.  
  
Micah's eyes were set on the central tower. He moved them down, tracing the black bricks and grotesque gargoyles, to the thick walls bristling with turrets and spikes, to the massive Iron Gate, before which was set an army of millions.  
  
Micah took in a deep breath. Nairo swallowed, but stood as rigid as a post. The army behind produced doubtful murmurs. Belle was silent.  
  
Micah stepped forward, his feet softly stamping the dry dirt. He turned to his army, and spoke. "For Link. For Parapa. For your families." He swiftly unsheathed his Sword, and held its gleaming blade before his face. "For Hyrule."  
  
The army gave a yell, so strongly and so courageously that the Army of Dreams shivered at the sound of it. With a single movement, Micah swung the sword forward, at the fortress. His soldiers unsheathed their primitive weapons and charged, not missing a beat with their yell. The Dreamers stood a moment to admire their enemy's passion, before charging themselves. Micah kept up his pace, running well in front of his army. Without a flinch from a single soul, the armies collided.  
  
Micah rolled beneath the first pike, pushed it away and slashed at the Dreamer who held it. The Dreamer, a stout old lady, disappeared instantly, awakening somewhere in the other world. Already, he could hear his army crumble beneath the onslaught, but he did not falter.  
  
Within moments, the army was dissolved within the seething mass that was the Army of Dreams. Yet, when they caught sight of their leader, a young boy wielding a beautiful sword, they were momentarily inspired to fight bravely.  
  
A Hylian soldier swung from behind. Micah ducked and turned, piercing him deep in his belly. The soldier faded and another Dreamer, this time a Gerudo, attacked. It swung with dual machetes. When she swung one arm, Micah jumped out of the way and swung at her arm, detaching it from the shoulder. She hunched from the pain, and Micah swung again, and her head fell away from her body, before both faded away.  
  
Micah looked around briefly. His army fought with passion, killing as many as fifty per minute, each. But the Dreamers were too many. If not by total annihilation, Micah's army would lose by utter exhaustion. He looked up again at the central tower, at the glowing top window.  
  
He ran through the melee, cutting down soldiers as he went, in search of Nairo. He found him, fighting with a mere dagger, but using it so fiercely that it might as well be a Goron Knife.  
  
"Nairo," Micah called. The Rito turned to him. "Nairo, I must go now. I must confront Karod."  
  
Nairo nodded. "Yes, I know," he said. "Your destiny is within that fortress. Be quick! We can only hold them off for so long."  
  
The Dreamers swarmed around them. Micah backed away several paces, and for the rest of his life, he remembered the last he saw of the Rito's deep, solemn eyes, as he gave him a courageous look before turning away, attacking the swarming masses. Micah turned and dashed away.  
  
He raced through the monstrous gate without looking back. The soldiers within the fortress were scattered and few, but the ones who remained attacked viciously. The first came with its sword upraised, and Micah ducked and drove his sword into the soldier's entrails. The others surrounded him, slowly closing in with their sharp blades ready. Micah saw the door not too far beyond. He drew his sword, held it in front of his face, and watched the soldiers behind the dissolving blade.  
  
Instantly, a flock of bats came swooping down, scattering the terrified Dreamers in all directions. Micah sheathed his sword, now wooden and crude, and ran.  
  
Belle popped out of her pocket for the first time. "We're almost there!" she cried. Micah swiftly climbed the stairs and ran down the high, brick bridge to the door.  
  
Suddenly, a massive figure dropped from the sky and blocked the path. It was an incarnation of a King Dodongo, but twice the size. It bellowed, ringing Micah's ears.  
  
He tried running around the Dodongo, but it shifted its weight, blocking the way. He moved back into his fighting stance. The Dodongo breathed heavily, spewing a fiery liquid onto the path and the steps beyond, and very nearly scorching Micah, for he had rolled out of the way, beneath the Dodongo's belly.  
  
The beast quickly learned where he had gone. It fell to its knees, and soon, its massive body covered the entire path. But Micah had already made it through the other end, and was making a mad dash for the door. The Dodongo roared in fury, and slowly began to turn its body around. It curled into a ball, and rolled down the path.  
  
It was too fast to try to outrun it, he knew. Micah made a sudden sharp turn, took a running start, and leapt off the edge.  
  
The Dodongo crashed through the door, taking down the surrounding walls with it. It uncurled and stood there, dazed. Micah, hanging onto the bridge with one hand, clambered back up and raced into the hole, straight through the Dodongo's legs.  
  
The anteroom was huge, but Micah immediately saw the door he was to take. In the opposite wall was a door, through which were red carpeted stairs, definitely the way to Karod's Tower. Micah ran again, but this time, the Dodongo was angry.  
  
It picked up pieces of the rubble in its mouth, and coughed up fire. The rocks were wreathed in flames and torpedoed through the air. The first rock hit the ceiling square in the center. The rock shattered into pieces, raining streams of fire down on Micah and Belle. It fired thrice more, until its attack took effect. The ceiling cracked into many parts, and it began to fall to the ground.  
  
Micah ran with his hands over his head, covering his eyes from the sight of his doom and his ears from the thundering crash of the falling rubble.  
  
The Dodongo aimed for Micah this time. His flaming stones missed entirely, crippling instead the pillars beyond. Stones crashed, pillars crumbled and fire rained, and amidst all this, Micah reached the door and flung it open.  
  
A final projectile struck the wall nearby, exploding brilliantly. With a shriek, Belle was flung across the room, and by some unseen magic, the door between Micah and her was shut and locked. Micah was alone. 


	2. Chapter Two: A Shadow of a Doubt

The climb was silent. Micah could no longer hear the Dodongo's wrath, nor the anteroom's crumble, nor the clamor of the battle outside. All he could hear was the stomping of his own feet against the red carpet.  
  
The climb was long. Faintly visible through the dusty windows were the tops of the towers. Clearly, Micah was already a great deal high.  
  
He reached a door. Painted on its face was a giant Karod, holding his hands over a sleeping kingdom. Above Karod's head were the words "ALMIGHTY KAROD MASTER OF THE DREAM CASTER". Micah opened the door.  
  
The next room clearly covered the entire breadth of the tower, for it was much larger than the anteroom. The floor was covered with shallow water. Micah waded into the room; the walls faded away, and were replaced by an eerily false sky, like that of a painting. In the center was a crude looking palm tree. Everything was obscured by mist, and everything had the cracked, faded appearance of a painting forgotten by age. Nothing else existed.  
  
Micah waded deep into the painting, past the palm tree. Suddenly he heard a voice.  
  
"Welcome to your dream."  
  
Micah turned, and his shadow suddenly lifted itself out of the ground and stood before him. It unsheathed its sword.  
  
"Or shall I say, your nightmare."  
  
The shadow jabbed forward. Micah strafed, and the shadow smoothly spun around and slashed at him. Micah jumped again, surprised at the shadow's agility. It leapt forward, sword upraised, and sliced downward. Micah rolled out of the wall, spun, and lunged with his own sword. The shadow leapt onto the blade, and in the same heartbeat kicked Micah in the face and back-flipped away.  
  
Micah collapsed; the reflecting water before him was pink with blood. Out of the mist, the shadow came again, running its sword through the water. Micah leapt out of the way, getting a nick in his shirt. The shadow attacked again, driving its sword towards Micah's head. He skillfully parried the blow, but was immediately faced with another. Fiercely and cleverly, Dark Micah swung again and again. The clash of metal rang in his ears and the smell of sparks lingered in his nostrils, but Micah kept it up. Dark Micah suddenly swung for his legs, but Micah jumped and slashed downward with his sword. Dark Micah suddenly flipped in midair, kicking Micah in the chest and sending him sprawling into the water.  
  
Micah recovered as quickly as he could. Dark Micah slashed at him, but Micah struck it away, spun, and jabbed towards Dark Micah's heart. But his shadow jumped a stunning height, stood on Micah's sword... but Micah suddenly dropped it. Startled, Dark Micah collapsed, and Micah viciously kicked it in the head, grabbed his sword, and drove its blade deep into its heart. Dark Micah was vanquished.  
  
The painting faded, as did his enemy. His normal shadow returned. He sheathed his sword and went through the opposing door.  
  
He encountered more stairs. The walls were no longer large black bricks, but slender ones, painted blue. The steps were again covered with thick red carpet. The walls were lined with beautiful stained-glass windows.  
  
The stairs ended. The floor was level again, and before him was another door, much larger, and covered with a design of blue and gold. Micah took a deep breath, drew his Sword, and opened the door.  
  
Again he was faced with a ridiculously large room. But there was no sky. There was no pool of water. There was no shadowy incarnation of him. There wasn't even Karod.  
  
In the middle of the room stood Link.  
  
Micah dropped his sword and ran wildly towards his friend, blinded with tears and joy. He jumped up and tightly hugged him, laughing joyously.  
  
"Link! Oh, Link!" he cried. "I thought you had died!"  
  
Suddenly, Link grabbed him and held him tight. Micah's feet were bound by chains and secured to the ground. He looked at them dumbly. He shook his head, confused.  
  
"But... why?" he muttered.  
  
And then the dark robes of Karod flowed down from the ceiling, and the nemesis appeared before him. Karod stepped forward, grinning. "Because he is my servant," he said. He shook his head and laughed, his dark laughter echoing in the enormous room, taunting Micah. "You pathetic little boy. No matter how many of my soldiers you slaughter, or how many you control yourself, or how many miles of desert you can endure, all it takes is a single symbol of nostalgia to seal your fate."  
  
Link stepped away, and Karod's Army of Minds appeared all around. They approached slowly, unsheathing their swords and holding them before their dark, hidden faces.  
  
Micah shook his head, allowing his tears to flow freely, but no longer out of joy. "I don't understand," he wailed.  
  
"Did I not tell you?" said Karod, backing away. "Any and all who are destroyed by my Army of Minds will join their destroyers. Link was killed you fool." He laughed again. "Ah, but 'tis wisdom gained too late for Micah, the ridiculous crusader! There is no escape!" His laughter continued, escalating to hysterical proportions.  
  
Micah closed his eyes. Memories flowed from his mind. He did not know if this was what it was like to see your life flashing before your eyes, but he did not care. He dropped his head, and was immersed in memories.  
  
"Life is full of mistakes. I'm sure you have made a choice that you came to regret. A choice that, if you only could, you would change. While in this world, play this song... the Eulogy of Dreams... to go back and have the chance to change a choice you wish you never made."  
  
Micah opened his eyes.  
  
The army closed in. They held their swords high, making it clear that all in the front row would strike at once, obliterating Micah's existence immediately. In light of all this, he reached into his pack and removed the Forest Ocarina.  
  
"What are you doing?" said Karod, scornfully. "Playing your own eulogy?"  
  
"No," said Micah, touching the instrument to his lips. "The Eulogy of Dreams."  
  
He closed his eyes, and played. 


	3. Chapter Three: Déjà vu

He felt as if he fell free, above a great turbine that whirled gusts of cold air into his body, yet his eyes remained closed, and he continued to play the song. When he opened his eyes, he was once again standing before the gold and blue door, and his feet were free.  
  
_Thank you, Gardorous, for giving me one more chance_, he said silently.  
  
He drew his Sword and held it in front of his face. The blade began to dissolve.  
  
In the next room, Karod hovered silently, anticipating the entry of his prey. In the center stood his slave, Link, standing as still as a statue, his face a rigid set of stone. Karod waited. What was taking so long?  
  
The door exploded violently, propelling fragments of the door and the wall with it to the other end of the room, knocking Link off his feet. Through the rubble lumbered a monstrous beast, its face a grotesque set of fangs and glowing eyes, its head decorated with curled horns as thick as trees, its massive fists wielding dual wicked, golden blades, which it swung menacingly. It arched back and bellowed, swinging its spiked tail, and turned to Karod, to whom it once again swung its blades.  
  
_Ganon!_  
  
He didn't know why the Prince of Thieves was after him, or how he had escaped from the Sacred Realm, but Karod was suddenly afraid, seized by an emotion that had not felt for many years. He backed into a wall, terrified, locking gazes with the horrible monster, coming closer and closer.  
  
Ganon roared, and swung at Karod's head, barely missing, and taking a slice out of the wall. Karod scrambled away, turning at the last moment to face the beast and whatever would come next. Ganon was swinging wildly at the air, taunting him, when suddenly a clatter on the floor broke his commotion. The Lens of Truth, having slipped out of the beast's grasp, lay on the floor.  
  
With a telekinetic grab much faster than any gesture made by the other, Karod swiped up the lens and held it to his eye. Suddenly he began to laugh.  
  
"Ah, the elusive Micah!" he cried. "Your new sword has proven useful, I see! Well, I'm afraid that, like all tricks, it produces no effect once its secret is discovered!"  
  
The Ganon illusion disappeared. Before Karod stood the little Kokiri, garbed in tattered, bloodstained forest clothing, wielding a glittering sword. His face was set, rigid, indifferent.  
  
"I finally have you," said Karod. "No more tricks, or illusions, or fantastic beasts springing from dreams. I will do away with you myself!" He lifted his hands and began to mutter an indiscernible chant.  
  
But Micah did not move. He stood his ground, his eyes burning with a flame anew. "You cannot frighten me anymore," he said, his calm voice thundering in the enormous room. "I have crossed deserts, slain monsters, braved storms, endured heartbreak and waged battles to come here. I am the Master of the Sword of Illusion, and if fate wills it, my time will come and I will accept it will a strong heart!"  
  
He held his sword up at Karod, and for a moment, though not caused by any trick of the Sword, he appeared as a tall, noble Hylian, robed in white, bravely fending off evil with this beautifully forged sword designed for that purpose. But it soon passed, and Micah appeared again as a small Kokiri, beaten and worn by trials long past.  
  
"Do your worst, you miserable man! I do not care any longer if my life is taken. Strike me down with all your might!" he cried.  
  
Karod was taken aback for a moment, but he recovered, and returned to his chant. His hands were wreathed in fire that grew, until his whole body was engulfed in flames, anxiously awaiting their attack.  
  
A silver arrow streaked through the air and struck the Lens of Truth, shattering the face, which clattered softly on the ground. Both heads turned to the other end of the room, where Link stood, holding a bow in his hands.  
  
Karod's jaw dropped in shock. "How did you...?"  
  
"Your moment of uncertainty before your greatest fear has set me free," Link said. He turned to Micah. "Thank you, Micah. I may now rest in peace." And he was gone.  
  
Karod turned to Micah in time to see the gleaming blade of his sword dissolve in front of his face. The room was instantly filled with astonishing illusions. Karod thought that he could see Micah everywhere he turned. The thousands of Micah images held their swords in positions of attack, and crept closer to bring Karod's doom. Karod cried out and tried to flee, but a gauntlet of Micahs blocked the way to the door. He was quickly encircled, while his enemies prepared to deliver the fatal swing. In a final outburst of terror, Karod summoned his powers and delivered them in equal force to every point in the circle. The illusions disappeared as quickly as they had come.  
  
Karod stood in a position of tense anticipation of an attack from a possible enemy who he did not see. For a while his breathing was the only noise in the room. Suddenly and quickly, a glimmer of metal whirled through the air, and in an instant, the Sword of Illusion was lodged in Karod's forehead.  
  
Micah stood like a statue, watching Karod's body slump to the ground. The sound of the broken hilt of Link's Biggoron's Sword hitting the floor echoed acutely in the large room. Micah fell to his knees, holding his hands to the blood soaked front side of his tunic. His mind slowly came to the conclusion that, although conducted in panic, Karod's final attack was not a waste, for the concussion had thrust some unknown projectiles into Micah's abdomen. And then his face hit the cold, stone floor.  
  
His eyes opened, and he felt peace.  
  
He was no longer in the hard, cruel, stone fortress of Karod. He saw nothing, yet could see everything. He felt no pain, and knew no weariness. He knew, somehow, that his journey was over.  
  
_Where am I?_ he called.  
  
There was no answer. A moment passed, and then he became aware of the presence of another.  
  
_Who is there?_ he said.  
  
_I am_, came a reply. It was so startlingly clear and sharp a sound that he was sure that the speaker had been speaking into his ear, yet he saw no one there.  
  
_Who are you?_ he demanded.  
  
_I am the Dream Caster,_ came the response, as clearly and as sharply as before. _As to the answer of your first question, you are in the presence of the Dream Caster. Any clearer of an answer would be inaccurate.  
_  
This was the kind of answer he got from both Gardorous and the Great Deku Tree, and it normally made his stomach turn. This time he felt no effect. Only peace.  
  
_Why am I here?_ he asked. He waited for a response, until he realized that he already knew the answer. _I... I died back there, didn't I._  
  
_Yes,_ said the Dream Caster. _However, moments earlier you had slain Karod, thus liberating me from his grasp. According to the law set forth by the gods who created me, that makes you my new master. Your soul, that is. That is why I could not give you a clear answer to your first question. You are physically nonexistent, but the very fact that you are my master gives your soul consciousness in the physical world.  
_  
Micah did not speak for some time. This was too much information for him to absorb.  
  
_Micah, do you know why you died?_ said the Dream Caster.  
  
_No,_ said Micah.  
  
_It is because you had fallen victim to the trap explained to you by Gardorous. The blinders of illusions were set before your eyes, and so you..._  
  
_Illusions?!_ Micah cried, astonishing himself by his interruption. _That's impossible! I had the Eye of Truth, the Sword of Illusion..._  
  
_Not physical illusions, Micah_, said the Dream Caster._ Illusions set up by you and your presumptions. See, you really believed that you were the One. Gardorous's conviction seemed so strong. This conviction manifested itself in the World of Delusion as the fortress of the Sword of Illusion._  
  
Micah was stunned. _That whole fortress was an illusion?_ he cried. _Even the prisoners?_  
  
_The true fortress is yet to be found,_ was all the Dream Caster said.  
  
Micah couldn't believe it. _Then why was the sword so effective against Karod?_ he said.  
  
_You were convinced that the sword you retrieved from the fortress was the Sword of Illusion. This, coupled with Karod's worries that you were, indeed, the One, manifested itself in illusions that mirrored those of the true Sword of Illusion in power. Karod believed that the sword was true so much that he succumbed to its false power._  
  
Silence echoed once again. Micah, disturbed as he was, remained at peace.  
  
_You tricked yourself into believing you were something you were not_, the Dream Caster continued. _You longed to be like your friend Link all your life. When the opportunity came, you assumed the masquerade that you had been preparing for all those years. That was your ultimate downfall._  
  
Silence.  
  
_But enough negativity,_ the Dream Caster said, taking a different tone of voice. _You did succeed in freeing me from Karod. Now the dreams of all in Hyrule will remain at peace._  
  
_But what's the point?_ Micah wailed. _I'm dead. So is Link, and presumably, Belle. You were right; I shouldn't have gone off on this quest on a false notion. I should've paid attention to that legend..._  
  
_Ah, yes. The famous Kokiri legend: all Kokiri who leave the Forest Haven will be doomed to death. Tell me, Micah, do you really believe that that legend is any more valid than the "false notion" that set you off on your quest?  
_  
Micah had no answer. At last, he was compelled to ask his most pressing question. _Now that you're free, and I'm dead...what happens?_  
  
_There is only one thing that can happen as long as I am in your power. I can offer you a lifelong dream, in which you would never want to wake up. I can give you the life that would have been had the Army of Minds never existed._  
  
_What would the point of that be?_ Micah cried._ I would be living a lie!_  
  
_Micah, considering all the illusions you had lived under in your true lifetime, would it be any more of a lie?_ said the Dream Caster. _Truth is only what we make it. If you choose to believe that the life I'm about to offer you is invalid, then that's what it is. However, if you choose to believe that this life is the life you've always lived, that also can be true._  
  
Micah thought about it for a long time. He was tempted by the idea. He longed to feel the gentle breeze of the Kokiri Forest, and to see the glow of fairies dancing in front of the backdrop of time-old trees. He longed to feel the flutter of Belle's pink wings as she flew playfully around his head. He longed for the friendship of Link, who was more of a guardian to him than the Great Deku Tree itself. He longed for the days of carefree happiness, when he would fight heroically against inanimate foes, which he knew would never fight back. He even longed for the tall, scratchy weeds of the deep woods, which he would brush against but not care as long as it was real, all of it. Most of all, he longed for the days when he looked forward to fighting, instead of actually doing it.  
  
The bittersweet nostalgia shattered the peace. He felt his sorrow vibrating in the emptiness.  
  
_I'll do it,_ he said. _On one condition._  
  
_Of course._  
  
Micah paused. _I don't want to remember any of what happened to me,_ he said. _Any of it._  
  
_Of course._  
  
Again, the peace overpowered him. With a final farewell and thanks to the Dream Caster, Micah's eyes, which would never again see, closed shut. 


	4. Epilogue: Requiem for a Dream

Epona snorted, kicking the tufts of grass that tickled her leg.  
  
"Easy, girl," Micah said, brushing the side of her neck with his hand.  
  
Belle came out of Micah's pocket, flapping her wings impatiently.  
  
"Isn't Link done yet?" she said. "It's really smelly in that pocket of yours."  
  
"Yeah, I usually keep stuff I find under rocks in there." Micah said. He laughed at her reaction. "C'mon, you can sit on my finger."  
  
Micah looked at Parapa, the cozy little town that Link and he had ridden to. It reminded him of Hyrule Castle Town, where they had been only hours before, only less noisy and crowded. He wondered why everyone in the world didn't want to live in places like this.  
  
"What a nice day," Belle said, contently relaxing her wings as she sat on Micah's right index finger.  
  
"Yep," Micah said. "I never knew the sky could be so clear. The trees in the forest are always blocking most of the sky, so... hey, I smell sweet corn!"  
  
Micah lifted his head, taking in whiffs of air scented with the smell of food. "And chicken, and bread... mm! It's like everyone in town's making this stuff!"  
  
He began to get off of Epona's saddle, while Belle, suddenly taking flight, cried, "But Link said to stay here!"  
  
"Why?" Micah said. "So he can have all the chicken and bread and sweet corn to himself?"  
  
"No, because you would probably get lost!"  
  
Micah turned. Holding two bottles of milk in his hands by the gate of the town stood Link.  
  
"What's that?" Micah said, jumping down.  
  
Link held up the bottles. "Parapa milk," he said. "The best in the world."  
  
"I thought Lon Lon was the best."  
  
Link shook his head. "That's what people say who are too lazy to travel all the way out here," he said. "Anyway, I figured that, since you're going out of the forest for the first time anyway, you might as well have a taste of the world."  
  
Link handed one of the bottles to Micah. Micah was still distracted, smelling the air. "What smells so good?" he said.  
  
Link looked at the town. "They're having a festival," he said. "Want to go?"  
  
"Yeah!" Micah squealed, jumping up and down.  
  
Link raised an eyebrow. "We probably won't get back to the forest until late at night," he said.  
  
"I don't care!" Micah said. "I gotta have a taste of the world, right? And since when do they have festivals in Kokiri forest?"  
  
"I guess never," Link said with a laugh. "All right, let's go. As long as you don't mind getting home late."  
  
"Don't worry," Micah said, looking to the town with a grin. "I'll sleep well tonight."  
  
Taking a sip from his bottle and taking Belle with his other hand, Micah followed Link into Parapa, whose cries of joy mirrored the brilliant blue sky of a glorious midday in Hyrule. 


End file.
